Pump and method of regulating the same



March 30,1926. 1,578,843

L. F. MOODY PUMP AND METHOD OF REGULATING THE SAME Original Filed July 3, 1919 ATTORNEYS KW. f lNvEN ToR BY I Patented Mar. 30, 1926.

UNITED: STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS FERRY MOODY, OF IPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.-

IPUHP AND METHOD'OF BEGULATING THE SAME.

Original application filed m a, 1919, Serial no. 308,607. Patent No. 1,460,428, dated m a, ma. Divided and this application filed January '2, 1923. Serial 1T0. 610,096.

T 0 all whom. it may concern.

7 Be it known that I, Lnwrs Fnuur MoonY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pumps and Methods of Regulating the Same, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to hydraulic pumps and methods for regulating the same and particularly to such pumps having a rotary impeller. The object of the invention is to provide a. pump and method of control panying drawing in which a vertical section therefor whereby the amount of water pumped may be regulated within wide limits while maintaining highly efiicient flow conditions at all adjustments.

A common method of regulating pumps is by means of a gate valve or some similar valve in the discharge pipe for throttling the flow after the water hasleft the pump. Such agvalve usually reduces the flow by interposing a loss of head and thus controls the pump mainly by reducing its efficiency. In the pump of this invention regulating means is .provided in the pump inlet leaving the outlet free from obstruction and supplying the impeller with a widely variable quantity of water in such manner that efficient conditions of flow at both the inlet and outlet are maintained at all degrees of opening.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description taken in connection with the accomof a pump is shown illustrating one embodiment' of the invention.

In the pump shown in the drawing power is supplied from the coupling 5 and shaft 6 to rotate impeller blades 7 which are of the axial screw type and draw water from the inlet casing 8 and drive it through the outlet casing 9. The inlet casing 8 has an axial flow inlet passage narrowing the flow and directing it axially and tangentially through the gate space 11 to the transition s ace 12 where it passes. to the impeller b ades 7'. In the outlet casing 9 the flowfrom theimpeller is turned outward away from the axis and gradually broadened in 7 .section. In passing through the pump the flow in the inlet is increased in velocity so that it has its pressure head transformed largely into velocity head at the impeller blades 7, while in the outlet 9 the velocity of flow is gradually reduced retransforming the velocity head into pressure head much higherin degree, of course, than that at the inlet. outlet easing as at 15.

The inlet casing 8 is bolted to the -The water enters this pump in an axial 4 direction at the inlet 8, is given an initial whirling motion by a series of fixed vanes 16 and is discharged from these vanes into the wicket 'gates32 which further continue the guidance and discharge the water with an increased amount of whirl in the space 12 betweenthe wicket gates and the impeller 7. It is essential that a suflicient space be provided between the entrance vanes and impeller to allow the water to come together in a continuous revolving mass of substantially uniform velocity around the circumference before it enters the impeller. The

guide-vanes are of the axial flow type with.

. guide vanes 16 of inlet casing 8. The outer spindles 38 of vanes 32 are continued through bearings formed between inlet casing 8 and outlet casing 9 and are provided with levers 40, an adjusting. ring 42 and intermediate links 41, the end pins of which are inclined so that all their axes intersect the pump axis at'the same point as the intersection of the spindle axes. Therefore, in all positions of the wicket gates the pins mounted on the levers will continue to intersect the same fixed point and a correct fit at all the pivots may be maintained.

The cone 37 ring 36 and the hub 43 of the impellermerge smoothly in contour with each other and with the central walls of the outlet casing 9. The outer walls of the invelocity of the outflow therefrom to retransform the velocity head into pressure head at the outlet. The guide lranes 32 are formed with their outer edges shaped to fit the inlet casing walls 30 when they are closed; and with their inner edges shaped to fit the ring 36 which is made spherical in the portlon coming in contact with the' vanes. The adjusting ring 42 will be moved by an extension arm and draw rod connected to a piston or hand wheel asdesired and all the vanes 32 are moved in exactly similar manner and are therefore given equal relative angular positions at all openings.

The guide vanes 32 may be arranged both to close to smaller amounts of opening than their normal position and to open to positions for greater discharge than normal and their number and length are preferably such that they may be closed to shut off the supply to the pum altogether.

The water is rought to the wicket gates 32 in the axial passage of the inlet casing and receives an initial whirl from the fixed guide vanes 16 and an additional whirling motion from the gates 32; the water thus enters the impeller in a continuous revolving stream of substantially uniform velocity around the circumference.

By this means the flow through the pump is regulated without loss of head and without substantial variation in efliciency at the difi'erent adjustments; for the only difierence in conditions of efliciency introduced by this adjustment is theslightly variant angle at whichthe lines of flow of the axial stream enter the impeller due to variations of the adjusted angles. of the movable vanes.

' Another advantage of the struetureof this invention in regulating the flow in the inlet is that it leaves the outlet clear of'obstruction and free to be designed to secure the most eflicient transformation of the velocity head at the impeller into pressure head at the outlet. Ad ustable guide vanes in this outlet passage would break up the continuit of the difi'usion and introduce wasteful dlsturbances; for the passages through the guide vanes are too short in comparison with their width to be effective as diffusers and, if very long vanes are used the heavy mechanical load required to adjust them makes them impractical and the additional friction due to the large aggregate amount of surface on the vanes would introduce serious hydraulic losses. These objections are not involved when the vanes are placed on the entrance'side ofthe impellersince at thispoint in the pump the wateris being accelerated and the passages between the vanes contract in area instead ofexpanding. The vanes may be formed to ive highly efiicient flow conditions at all ang es of opening, acting simply to vary the amount of the flow and imparting-a slightly variant angle of impact at the impeller blades. The pump of this invention is s mple and compact in form receiving the flow axially and discharging it inany desired direction by means of'adischarge casing such as that shown at 9. In the specific embodiment shown, the impeller 7 is overhung at the end of the shaft G-Which runs in bearings 19, 20 and 21 and tubular housing 22 integral with the outlet casing 9. The impeller and shaft may be removed by lifting ofi'y the upper half of the outlet casing 9. In this pump the regulating means is placed relatively near the impeller so that the increased velocity caused by the movable vanes both in normal position and when partially closed enters the impeller without the loss of head which would be caused if this volocity were maintained through a considerable length of path. The direction of flow as projected in the plane of the figure becomes axial in the vane space 11 slightly inadvance of the impeller 7 so that when it reaches the impeller it is somewhat divergent with respect to the impeller axis and this July 3, 1923, and is a continuation in part of my application Serial No. 233,210, filed May 8, 1918, now Patent No. 1,321,538, November-11, 1919.

I claim v 1. In a pump the combination with a rotary impeller, of an inlet directing the inflow to said impeller with the meridian 'components of the velocity substantially paral-' lel to the axis, and movable guide vanes reg ulating the flow through said inlet, all of said guide vanes being linked to a single operating ring, to be similarly adjusted thereby, said movable guidevanes turning on axes intersecting at the axis of said op-- erating ring.

2. Ina rotary.

. '115 hydraulic pump, the com-f bination of an impeller, an axially directed? inlet passage receiving the flow axially and adapted to deliver the'water to said impeller" under a considerable head and having ad justable means in said axially directed inlet passage to convert-the energy of that head into a high velocity of whirl of'the entering 'water around the axis of theimpeller, an

means to deliver the water therefrom with a whirl in the same direction and to convert 3 that Whirl into static head on the outflow side of the pump. j a

3. In a rotary hydraulic pump, the com bination of an impeller, a casing around the same having an axial inflow conduit receiving and delivering the flow axially and.

the water into the impeller at a proper high.

speed, adjustable means in said axial inlet passage for imparting a .whirl to the flow, and means on the outflow side of the pump to receive the water from the impeller with high velocity energy and to convert the same into static head. I

5. A rotary hydraulic pump having in combination a high speed impeller, an axial inflow conduit, and an outflow conduit, said conduits and the impeller being disposed so that the course of the water'flowing through the pump shall be in a continuously advancing helical path firstconverging to its smallest cross section in advance of the impeller and then diverging therefrom, the cross section in advance of the -.impeller being such as to give a high velocity therethrough compared with the'velocity correspondmg to the net head ofthe pump. 7

6. A rotary hydraulic pump for operating at a moderate net head having in combination a high speed impeller, an axial inflow conduit, and an outflow conduit, said con duits and the impeller being disposed so that the course of the water-flowing through the pump shall be in *a continuously advancing helical path first converging to its smallest cross section in advance of the impeller and then diverging therefrom, said conduits being so formed that the cross sections of the.

stream elements across the lines offlow are less in accordance with nearness to the impeller. I

7. A rotary hydraulic pump having in combination an impeller of substantially axial flow type, 7 an admission chamber formed to deliver water to the impeller with a large whirl component of velocity and comprising an axial inlet passage and adjustable vanes in said passage, an annular discharge space bounded by surfaces of revolution co-axial with the impeller to receive the discharge therefromand a spiral conduit to receive the discharge from the annular' discharge space and formedto receive the water entering it in a direction diagonal to the impeller axis.

8. In a rotary hydraulic pump the com- 'bination' of an impeller, an axial inlet passageto deliver the water thereto under a considerable headland having adjustable vanes to convert the energy of that head into a high velocity of whirl of the entering water around the axis of the impeller, and a spiral conduit of expanding-cross section to receive the water from the impeller with a whirl in the same direction and to reduce its velocity so as to convert such whirl. into static head on the outflow side of the pump.

'9. A rotary hydraulic pump having in combination a high speed impeller, a driving shaft therefor, an axial inflow conduit around the axis of said shaft approaching convergently to the impeller, adjustable vanes in said inflow' conduit, and an outflow conduit around said shaft receding divergently from the impeller. v

j 10. A rotary hydraulic pump having in combination an impeller of high speed compared with the velocity corresponding to the head, a converging axial inflow. conduit having adjustable means within it adapted for giving the water a variable whirl velocity as it goes to the impeller,and

a.diverging spiral outflow conduit adapted for reconverting the high whirl velocity of the water as it leavesthe impeller and making it available as static head;

11. In a pump the combination with a rotary impeller, of means directing the inflow to said impeller 1 axially and increasing its velocity, and means for regulating the flow through said pump comprising means for t-ary impeller, of means directing the inflow to said impeller axially and increasing its velocity, and means for regulating the flow through said pump comprising ineans for varying the angle of whirl of said axial insimultaneously varying the velocity and angle of whirl ofsaid axial inflow.

13. In a pump-the combination'with a rotary impeller, of means directing the inflow to said impeller axially and increasing its velocity, and meansfor regulating the flow through said pump comprising means for imparting an initial whirl to said inflow and subsequently increasing this whirl in variable'manner. I I

14. In a pump the combination with a rotary impeller, of means directingthe inflow to said impeller axially and simultaneously increasing its velocity, and means for regulating the flow through said pump comprising means for variably changing the angle of whirl of said axial inflow in advance of the impeller to regulate the flow through the pump.

15. In a rotary hydraulic ump the combination with an impeller, 0 an axial inle passage having means for imparting a whirl to the flow, and means in said axial inlet passage for varying the angle of whirl to regulate the flow through the pump.

16. In a pump the combination with an impeller, of an axial inlet casing imparting a whirl to the inflow and increasing its velocity as it approaches the impeller, and .means in said axial inlet casing for varying the angle of whirl of the inflow to regulate the pump.

17. A rotary hydraulic pump having in combination an impeller, an axial inflow conduit, and an outflow conduit, said conduits and the impeller being disposed so that the course of the Water flowing through the pump shall be in a continuously advancing helical path first converging to its smallest cross section in'advance of the impeller and then diverging therefrom, the inflow conduit having means to impart a variable angle of whirl to the flow so as to regulate the flow to the pump.

18. A rotary hydraulic pump having in combination an impeller, an axial inflow conduit, and an outflow conduit, said con-' duits and the impeller being disposed so that the course of the water flowing through the pump shall be in a continuously advancing helical path first converging to its smallest cross section in advance of the impeller and then diverging therefrom, the inflow conduit having axially directedwicket gates to impart a variable angle of whirl to the flow so as to regulate the flow to the pump.

19. In a rotary hydraulic pump the combination with an axially directed inflow conduit having guide vanes adapted to im art a whirl 'to. the inflow, of adjustable gui ing means in said axially directed conduit adapted to vary said initial whirl and deliver the whirling flow to an impeller ,of

the axial flow type. a

20. In a pum the combination with a rotary impeller, 0 an axial inlet receiving and directing the flow axially to said impeller, and movable guide vanes regulating the flow to: said inlet, all of said guide vanes being linked to a single operatin ring to be similarly adjusted thereby, said movable guide vanes turning on axes at an angle to the axis of said operating ring.

21. Ina hydraulic pump the combination with an axial flow impeller, of guiding means forming a converging inlet space in advance thereof adapted to receive and guide the flow in an axial direction while increasin its velocity, inclined guide vanes in said in ct space adapted to impart a whirl to the flow, and adjustable guide vanes for V crease the whirl.

23. In a pump the combination with an impeller of an axial inlet conduit having guide vanes adapted to impart a whirl to the flow and a 'seriesof adjustable guide vanes arranged in the path of said inflow and adapted to variably increase the whirl.

24. In a rotary hydraulic machine the combination with a runner of substantially axial flow type, of a series of guide vanes in advance of said runner, said guide vanes being adjustable by rotation about axes which intersect in a common point on the runner axis, levers and links connecting said vanes to a common operating ring, the connections of said links and levers turning about axes which intersect the turbine axis at the same point-as the axes of rotation of said guide vanes.

25. In a rotary hydraulicmachine the combination with a runner of substantially axial flow type, of a series of guide vanes in advance of said runner and havin axes inclined to the runner axis, said guide vanes point on the runner axis, levers and links connecting said vanes to a common operating ring, the connections of said links and levers turning about axes which intersect the turbine axis at the same point as the axes of rotation of said guide vanes.

26. In a rotary hydraulic machine the combination witha rotary runner of an inlet directing the inflow axially to said runner, and movable guide vanes in advance of said runner re lating the flow through said around the circumference before it enters the runner.

LEWIS FERRY MOODY. 

